It is common practice to merchandise many items such as containers of soft drinks, beer, and the like, in packages containing a number of similar containers with the package normally including a handle or other means to facilitate carrying of the package. One of the most common packages consists of a relatively-rigid, paperboard blank formed around a group of containers, generally six or eight, with the folded blank usually being interlocked with itself and with the containers in the package. Normally, the package provides partitions between individual containers to cushion the same against damage or breakage during shipment. However, these paperboard blank packages have not been entirely satisfactory in that they are relatively expensive and difficult to form and pack at the high speeds required by modern filling and packaging machines.
To overcome these deficiencies of the folded paperboard blank, metal cans have recently been packaged by assemblying the cans into a group with an apertured carrier formed from a sheet of resilient plastic material, with the beaded end of the cans being inserted through the apertures of the carrier. The periphery of the apertures grasp the sidewalls of the cans and is locked beneath the bead securely enough to permit carrying of the package by a handle attached to a central portion or finger holes in the plastic carrier. Previously, it was not considered practical to package bottles in this manner because the elongated neck or shoulder portion made existing methods and apparatus impractical for packaging bottles. Also, the need for tight retention of the individual bottles, and the need for providing cushioning partitions between the bottles for handling and shipment have made such apertured carriers of limited value for use with bottles per se.
Methods and apparatus for applying a band around a group of bottles and securely applying a resilient, apertured carrier to the banded group to form a package convenient for shipping and carrying have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,404,505 and 3,509,684, both of which are assigned to the same common assignee as the present application. Other types of stretchable and elastic packaging devices adapted to be stretch-mounted in grouping engagement with the bottles have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,478.